Three gold medals, two world records and one Lego figurine under her belt. But what's next for Singapore Paralympian Yip Pin Xiu? The BBC's Heather Chen profiles the young athlete, as part of a series on the Asian women likely to make the news in 2017.

Swimmer Joseph Schooling may have delivered Singapore its first-ever Olympic gold medal but Yip Pin Xiu remains the country's most decorated athlete. With her 2016 and 2008 wins in Rio and Beijing, Yip now has more gold medals to her name than any other Singaporean Olympian or Paralympian.

But setting her sights on too much and not having enough time is often a problem for the busy 24-year-old, who's just returned from Europe, where she spent Christmas with her boyfriend and family.

School has started and Yip is back home. The swimmer is currently studying for her degree in political science at the Singapore Management University, which recently set up a sports scholarship in her name.

Asian women to watch in 2017

It's evident that Yip's heart is still in the pool. She says she is "in a hurry" to graduate so she can resume full-time training and even though she is training up to five times a week, Yip wants to dedicate more hours to it.

"Training isn't as intensive for me now as it normally is in the lead-up to major games," she said.

But balancing commitments is no easy feat, let alone for a three-time Paralympic champion.

"Juggling school and training takes up a lot of my time. And the only travelling I'll be doing for the rest of the year will be for competitions, not holidays," she says.

But it's not impossible for her. "Since young, I've learnt to manage my time. It's difficult but I can do it."

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Yip's optimism about life is infectious

The youngest of three children, Yip was born with muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that slowly breaks down the muscles.

When she turned 11, she lost her ability to walk and had to rely on a wheelchair. By age 12, she ventured into the world of competitive swimming.

Yip also suffers from a nerve condition that affects her eyesight. But she remains infectiously optimistic about her life.

High on life

"Things are so good and I'm really happy," she said with a smile.

On that, she recalled her biggest highlight of 2016: winning at the Rio Paralympics.

"My teammates and I were overwhelmed. The recognition we received was a lot higher compared to what we ever had," she said.

"I will always remember how good it felt to return home to Singapore, to see all the support for Paralympians."

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Yip is known in the sporting world for her signature back stroke swim

'I am my biggest competitor'

Rio may have been just the beginning for Yip Pin Xiu but there is still more to come. All eyes will be on her during her next major swim at the ASEAN Para Games scheduled to take place in September.

"My biggest competitor is myself and I want to be even better than that," Yip said.

She is also gearing for Tokyo 2020, which she says will be "a very exciting and vibrant event".